Narrative

Narrative is the media term for story telling. It is the way in which different elements of a story are presented to an audience to create a meaningful text. Narratives across different texts often share similar features, which links to genre. Narrative structure is the way in which the story unfolds. Bordwell and Thompson suggested that a chain of events within a media text do not necessarily have to occur in the plot in the same order as they occur in the story. The story is the parts of the narrative the narrative that the audience have to infer. It is the events that happen in chronological order. The plot is everything that is presented to the audience; everything that is visible and audible. Beyonce's Partition supports this idea to a certain extent because it is about her daydreaming a situation at the dinner table. The opening and closing of the video show her sat at the dinner table, but the events in the middle of the video are not in chronological order. However, this gives the effect that her imagination is overloading with lots of different thoughts, so the constant switching of scenes and returning to different shots shows she thinking about lots of different things.

Sven Carlson recognised that all music videos consist of three elements; performance, narrative and conceptual/abstract elements. The narrative is usually the part that dominates the music video, usually to tell the story of the song. In Partition, the performance element dominates the music video, and the narrative has very little importance in the overall video.

Tim O'Sullivan argues that all media text tells a story. Through careful mediation, media tets offer a way of telling stories about ourselves - not usually or own personal stories, but the stories of us as a culture or set of cultures. For example, the TV soap Hollyoaks reflects British culture and often adapts to tell stories about events and issues that are happening in the real world. Beyonce's video could relate to this theory because she is portraying a married woman with sexual fantasies, which shows a story of some people in our culture, as there are probably many women in our culture that are housewives and can relate to this video.

Many media texts follow very similar narratives. For example, Todorov suggests that conventional narratives follow a similar structure of five stages;
1. A state of equilibrium, or stability, at the start
2. A disruption in the story
3. A recognition that there has been a disruption
4. An attempt to repair the disruption
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

This can be seen in many forms of media texts. Some texts are anti-narrative, which don't follow a linear, conventional narrative. Beyonce's video is overall anti-narrative because it doesn't follow this conventional narrative.

Pam Cook recognised that standard Hollywood structure should have; linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution, a high degree of narrative closure, a fictional world that contains verisimilitude, especially governed by special and temporal coherence and narratives start with an establishment of plot of theme.

Genre

A genre is a specific type of music, film, or writing. Your favorite literary genre might be science fiction, and your favorite film genre might be horror. In music, genre refers to musical style such as jazz, salsa or rock. Genres in music videos are ways that the audience can identify what genre of music they are listening to, from the signs and mise-en-scene used in the video.

Steve Neale stresses that genres are not systems, but processes of systemisation, because they evolve over time. He says that films reflect the ideology of the time it was made, and audience responses change. For example, an audience will react differently to Beyonce's Partition video nowadays than if they were to watch it 20 years ago, due to the 'do's and dont's' of the pop genre evolving over time. David Buckingham argues that genre isn't just given by culture but rather it is a constant process of negotiation and change.

Jason Mittell argues that genres are cultural categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience and cultural practices as well. Genre also allows audiences to make choices about what products they want to consume through acceptance in order to fulfil a particular pleasure. If an individual wants to hear rock music, they will consume music accordingly and seek out music within that genre.

Rick Altman proposed the semantic/syntactic approach. He said that we need to consider genre in two ways. The first is semantic; this is concerned with the conventions of the genre that communicates with the audience, such as characters, locations, props etc. for example, in a horror we would expect to see blood, gore, darkness and scary people/masks. The second is syntactic, which is concerned with the relations between these elements and the structure of the narratives in a genre. For example, in a romantic comedy we expect it to start with the potential lovers not liking each other. In an indie rock music video, we expect to see long haired men and guitars.

Nicholas Abercrombie recognised that there was such thing as 'hybrid genres', which are text that combines the conventions of existing genres to create a new one. For example comedy and horror are often combined as a hybrid genre, for example in Shaun of the Dean and Jennifer's Body.

Audience

Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory explains that the audience is in charge of what they want from a media product, and will purchase a media product to fulfil their needs and their specific gratifications. It asks the question 'what do people do with media' instead of 'what does the media do to people'. This theory takes an audience-centred approach, for example it says that people may feel more confident in social situations by talking about common types of media they watch. By seeking out media, the audience fulfil the need to be informed.

An audience may watch a Beyonce music video for a number of reasons:

• For mood management, as people prefer keeping a pleasant medium stable mood. When in a bad mood or bored, people may seek media as regulation for their mood. Music videos such as Partiton may make the audience feel better. 
• For sensation seeking, if they want to be gratified in a particular way. If an individual were getting ready for a night out, they may put on Partition as a way of getting them excited to go out.
• Vicarious experiences, for example this use and gratification would take an individual away from the problems of real life by living through the characters in the text and imagining themselves as the characters. Beyonce's videos are a perfect example of this as many people watch her videos because they want to be just like her and get the attention that she gets.
• Sometimes an audience may consume a media product because they need to gratify a need for social connection and become very attached to the characters in the text. Many people rush to watch Beyonce's videos as soon as they are released because they have become attached to her.

Stuart Hall's Reception theory said that there are 3 ways in which an audience decodes a media text; dominant or preferred, negotiated and oppositional. 

A dominant reading is how the producer wants the audience to view the media and agree with the message which is is conveying. For example, with the Partition video, the intended message is that Beyonce is empowering women and showing that they are in control. 

A negotiated reading is when an audience understands the message of the text, but have their own opinion on it. For example, people may like the Partition video but disagree with the nudity and explicit lyrics.

An oppositional reading is where the audience completely reject the intended meaning and create their own, and fully disagree with the message being submitted.

The hypodermic needle theory suggests that mass media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on it's audiences. The mass media in the 1940's and 50's were perceived as a powerful influence on behaviour change. The movie 'A Clockwork Orange' was blamed for a lot of juvenile delinquency and youth gangs in the 70's, including a case in March '72 about a 14 year old male accused of the murder of a classmate. The film was said to have has some relevance in the crime. This supports the hypodermic needle theory as it shows how people can be influenced by mass media. It suggests the media effects a large group of people directly by 'injecting' them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response. Beyonce can be linked to this theory because she often sings and talks about feminism in the media, which has empowered and helped large amount of her female (and male) audience.

A criticism of this theory is that it its very out of date, and that media can be consumed in a variety of different ways. This links back to Stuart Hall's theory, as he shows that an audience can decode a media text in different ways. As an audience we are aware of how institutions operate and understand conventions, therefore can reject messages if we deem them insignificant. 

Representation

The concept of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory is one that deals with how an audience views the people presented in a media text. This can be looked at in three ways; how men look at women, how women look at themselves and how women look at other women. The Male Gaze occurs when a media text puts the audience into the perspective of a heterosexual man. Mulvey’s theory can be applied to Beyonce’s music video Partition, in which she is presented as a sexual object, and also the way other females in the video are presented.

The video begins with a point of view shot from a male perspective, with immediately supports the theory. The first point of view we get of the women in the video is that of a heterosexual man. The focus is on Beyonce, a woman, who is looking across a table provocatively at the man. She is wearing red nail varnish and lipstick, which has connotations of passion and lust. We are able to tell that this shot is from the point of view of a man due to the two arms that are holding a newspaper in front of the camera. After we see Beyonce, the newspaper is raised, as if the man is holding it up it read from it, which covers up her face. This suggests she is being ignored by the man. She then begins to act provocatively, for example by lowering her glasses and pulling her dressing gown lower, in order to gain male attention by showing off her sexual features such as eyes and chest.

In the background of the music video, there is a second woman dressed in a short, skimpy maids outfit. Beyonce purposely drops a napkin on the floor for the maid to pick up, all the while checking the man’s reaction to her. This suggests that she is craving attention from the man, and looking to see if he reacts to other provocatively dressed women because she wants to be the main focus of attention. Like Beyonce, she is wearing red lipstick, which connotes that she too is represented as a sexual object in the video.

In another shot, Beyonce is seen dressed in very provocative clothes that show a lot of skin in front of a mirror, that shows her body from behind also. The lighting is dim and the main focus is on her body. She is holding a mask in front of her face. This supports Muvley’s theory because it shows that her body is more important than her identity and therefore she is seen as a sexual object. When she takes the mask away, a veil still covers her face. In other shots, she is wearing the same outfit and the camera skims across her body, focusing on her sexual features.

 

Further into the video, she is seen dressed in a bask and a coat and is walking in front of the car, beckoning suggestively to the driver. This supports the theory as she is portraying herself as a sexual object. The lyrics, “take all of me, I just want to be the girl you like” suggests this also, as she is portraying herself in this way for the gratification of men. She is wearing red shoes and red lipstick, which has the same connotations of passion and lust as before.

Later on,  she is seen on a stage dancing on poles with other girls. The lighting is very dim and the mise-en-scene looks as though they are in a strip club, where, of course, women dance for male gratification. She is also seen provocatively dancing on a piano for an older, well dressed looking man, which may suggest he is paying her to dance for him. This definitely supports Laura Mulvey’s theory because she is dancing simply for the man that is watching her.

Tessa Perkins’ stereotype theory explains that stereotypes are ideas that are adopted about a person from the way that they are represented. Beyonce is typically an R&B artist, but she incorporates pop and soul into her music. R&B is a genre of popular African-American music that often goes hand-in-hand with rap music. The stereotype surrounding R&B artists is of black individuals that wear blingy jewelry and expensive clothing. They often sing about love and sex, and have high production value music videos, with lots of lighting, choreography and flash scenery.

Beyonce conforms to this stereotype because her videos are often high budget and have a lot of  risque choreography. She is often seen in expensive, highly stylised clothing and sets, and her songs are often about love and sex. She can also be described as a ‘diva’; they tend to have very powerful voices and many talents other than singing, for example divas often have an acting career their music career, and they are often in the media for their lifestyle too. Beyoncé conforms to this stereotype as she has been in many films and is looked up to as an icon by many. She even released a song entitled ‘Diva’ in 2008.

Richard Dyer's Star theory developed the idea that the audience's perception of a text was heavily influenced by the way the stars were represented. He proposes the idea that a 'star' is a constructed image and not a real person. The idea is that celebrities and icons are constructed for financial gain and target one specific audience. Beyonce is a prime example of a star. She is known for her identity which isn't bounded by her singing career. Beyonce's fame began when her father negotiated a deal for her girl group Destiny's Child, and between 1997 and 2005, they became the world's top selling vocal group. Beyonce embarked on a solo career in 2003, releasing her first album 'Dangerously in Love' and picking up five Grammy awards. She began dating fellow celebrity and hip hop mogul Jay-Z aged 20, and has also launched an acting career, appearing in 'Austin Powers', 'Dreamgirls' and 'The Pink Panther'. When she dropped her debut album 'Beyonce' in 2013, she was able to release her album digitally without any promotion, and still debut as number one on the Billboard 200. It became the fastest selling album on the Itunes store.

Richard Dyer insists that true pop stars have lasting significances if they make sufficient cultural or sociological impacts. If not, he claims they will be forgotten by all but their most avid fans within a few years. Beyonce's career has lasted almost 20 years, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. She has made many sociological impacts, for example her song 'Flawless' redefined the word 'Feminist' for the modern day woman.

Dyer's theory also suggests that a star is constructed for an audience and not the individual. Hegemony is that we as an audience idolises the star as we admire them, and they present an idea of what the audience believe they are supposed to be like. Beyonce has a massive following on social media and can be seen on TV and in magazines regularly, so the audience can follow her actions regularly. Many followers attempt to copy her style and the way she is represented, which is why she is seen as a role model. She is a positive role model because she is rarely portrayed negatively in the media.

Visual Essay Video

This is the music video I will be referring to when conducting my visual essay (summary of theories).

The song that I will be producing a music video for is MKTO - Wasted

I have chosen to produce a video for this song because it does not have one already and I feel a song with such emotive lyrics should be fairly easy and fun to create a music video for. Listening to the song and the lyrics you can easily picture what the artist (who's perspective it is from) would be doing and thinking so it would be good to make a video about that. 

Brief

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

•a website homepage for the band;

•a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package);

•a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).